Happy Earth Day, everyone!
sumdaze here with a puzzle by two of our favorite people on The Corner -- Irish Miss and C.C.! What a lovely surprise to open up the puzzle and see both of their names!
1. Dusting on deviled eggs: PAPRIKA. I figure McCormick seasoning company is an excellent source on this topic. They say, "PAPRIKA is made from the dried, ground, ripened fruit pods of less pungent varieties of the Capsicum annum species. It is mildly flavored and prized for its brilliant red color. It is closely related to red pepper which also derives from the Capsicum annum species."
2. No-__: easy decision: BRAINER.
3. Doing some laundry prep: SORTING. Notice how the clue and answer verb tenses match.
4. "ur hilarious!": ROFL. "ur" is a hint the answer will be in textspeak. Rolling On the Floor Laughing
5. Mattel game with 108 cards: UNO.
6. Light boat in a regatta: SCULL. Boats with scullers (athletes with two oars each) in them are referred to as sculls. SCULL as a verb means to propel a boat with sculls. An empty SkULL with a "k" can be a 2-Down.
7. Balloon gas: HELIUM. and 65-Down. Yoga ball filler: AIR.
8. Fire pit residue: ASH.
10. Singalong activity at a bar: KARAOKE. This one is for the BBT fans (1 min.)
11. Drug type banned by most pro sports: STEROID.
13. Leave speechless: STUN.
16. Ibsen's "__ Gabler": HEDDA. Hedda Gabler is a play written by Norwegian Henrik Johan Ibsen. It was first staged in 1891 in Munich, Germany. Hedda is the main character. She is newly married but already bored with her marriage and life.
18. Himalayan bovines: YAKS.
22. Prayer opening: DEAR GOD. We often see the prayer closing "amen" in grids.
25. Small taste: BITE.
26. Yawn-inducing: BLAH. "Dull" and "bore" also fit ... for a bit.
29. Bargain-basement: CUT-RATE.
33. Like 2025, but not 2024: ODD.
35. Doc who treats sinusitis: ENT. Ear Nose Throat
37. Exec concerned with data security: CTO. Chief Technology Officer
39. Tablet downloads: APPS.
40. "If you ask me ... ": I SAY.
41. Courtroom figure who says "All rise!": BAILIFF.
42. Cloverlike crop: ALFALFA.
45. Optimizes, as an engine: RETUNES. Def.: to tune something again or differently.
46. Most near: CLOSEST.
47. Political pardon: AMNESTY.
48. Student of Socrates: PLATO.
50. "You think I care?": SO WHAT.
52. Noble title: EARL.
55. Phased out: ENDED.
56. Elle portrayer in "Legally Blonde": REESE. Thanks to IM and C.C. for an opportunity to include a Legally Blonde clip! (2:25 min.)
58. Pageboy, for one: COIF. A pageboy is a hairstyle. The length may vary but most variations have the ends curled under in a loose roll.
61. Genesis man: ADAM. Genesis is also an English rock band. Members came and went over the years but notably included Tony Banks (keyboard), Mike Rutherford (bassist/guitar), and Phil Collins (drums/vocals). Here are those Genesis men performing Turn It On Again (1980).
Theme: 
We will begin with the reveal:
We will begin with the reveal:
64. Newspaper's attention-getters, and what both words in 17-, 25-, 38- and 54-Across can do: HEADLINES.
The answer to each starred clue is a two-word phrase where both the first word and the second word can be placed at the front (HEAD) of the word LINE.
I liked how the clues for the themers did not stand out from the regular fill. The lack of stars (*) added to my surprise at the reveal.
Since the clues for the themers also define them, I will focus on their +LINE meanings. (Note: Some of these have additional meanings not identified here.)
17 Across. Improper etiquette at a social gathering: PARTY FOUL.
- PARTY LINE: either a policy adopted by a political party or an old-school telephone system
- FOUL LINE: in sports, a linear demarcation that, if crossed, incurs a penalty
25 Across. Aristocrat: BLUE BLOOD.
- BLUE LINE: the offside boundary in hockey
- BLOOD LINE: the pedigree of an animal
38 Across. Romantic outing: DATE NIGHT.
- DATELINE: a TV newsmagazine show that premiered in 1992
- NIGHT LINE: an evening, in-depth TV news show that first aired in 1980
54 Across. Biography: LIFE STORY.
- LIFE LINE: a hand crease identified in palmistry
- STORY LINE: the plot of a story, drama, or game
I enjoyed seeing both parts of the themers used for the reveal. I suppose we should not be surprised that our dynamic duo gave us a double-the-fun theme. I am duly (dually?) impressed!
Here is a double the pleasure celebration ditty.
Across:
1. "Antiques Roadshow" network: PBS. What would you take to a filming?
4. Sudden burst of activity: RUSH. also, as -T would be quick to point out, a Canadian rock band...
8. Seeks an answer: ASKS.
12. People who are not prone to infatuations, informally: AROS. Merriam-Webster says this word was first used in 2014 as an abbreviated version of aromantic. Parse it as the prefix "a-" (meaning not or without) with the word "romantic". An ARO person may never develop a crush on a person or envision themselves entering into a romantic relationship.
14. In the past: ONCE. upon a time...
15. Mown path: SWATH. Have you seen any of the SB Mowing videos on YouTube? This guy goes around cleaning up the worst eye-sore yard in the neighborhood for free. He is in Wichita, KS. It is sort of mesmerizing to watch him work because he speeds up the video as he cuts a SWATH in the lawn. This video is 30 min. but you can skip easily skip ahead. He gets out his mower at 18:23. There is a before/after part at the end. The world could use more people like Spencer!
19. Company newbie: HIREE. and 66 Across. Job seeker's success: OFFER.
20. Customary routine: RITUAL. I like the play on the word "custom".
21. Pot cover: LID.
23. Fat in tamale dough: LARD.
24. Confident way to solve newspaper puzzles: IN INK.
27. Actor Jeong: KEN. Kendrick Kang-Joh Jeong is an American doctor, stand-up comedian and actor born in Detroit, MI in 1969. His popularity soared after playing Mr. Leslie Chow in The Hangover. Here he talks about his NBC sitcom, Dr. Ken (2015-2017).
28. Biol. or geol.: SCI. Biology and Geology are SCIences.
30. __ de mer: MAL. seasickness
31. Korean automaker: KIA.
32. Jason's ship, in Greek mythology: ARGO.
34. Sport-__: versatile vehicle: UTE. utility
1. "Antiques Roadshow" network: PBS. What would you take to a filming?
Junk in the Trunk ~ 2:50 min.
4. Sudden burst of activity: RUSH. also, as -T would be quick to point out, a Canadian rock band...
Rush released Tom Sawyer in 1981.
8. Seeks an answer: ASKS.
12. People who are not prone to infatuations, informally: AROS. Merriam-Webster says this word was first used in 2014 as an abbreviated version of aromantic. Parse it as the prefix "a-" (meaning not or without) with the word "romantic". An ARO person may never develop a crush on a person or envision themselves entering into a romantic relationship.
14. In the past: ONCE. upon a time...
15. Mown path: SWATH. Have you seen any of the SB Mowing videos on YouTube? This guy goes around cleaning up the worst eye-sore yard in the neighborhood for free. He is in Wichita, KS. It is sort of mesmerizing to watch him work because he speeds up the video as he cuts a SWATH in the lawn. This video is 30 min. but you can skip easily skip ahead. He gets out his mower at 18:23. There is a before/after part at the end. The world could use more people like Spencer!
19. Company newbie: HIREE. and 66 Across. Job seeker's success: OFFER.
20. Customary routine: RITUAL. I like the play on the word "custom".
21. Pot cover: LID.
23. Fat in tamale dough: LARD.
 |
| ¡Delicioso! |
27. Actor Jeong: KEN. Kendrick Kang-Joh Jeong is an American doctor, stand-up comedian and actor born in Detroit, MI in 1969. His popularity soared after playing Mr. Leslie Chow in The Hangover. Here he talks about his NBC sitcom, Dr. Ken (2015-2017).
28. Biol. or geol.: SCI. Biology and Geology are SCIences.
30. __ de mer: MAL. seasickness
31. Korean automaker: KIA.
32. Jason's ship, in Greek mythology: ARGO.
34. Sport-__: versatile vehicle: UTE. utility
CSO to D-Otto who likes the expression, "In my UTE ...." 😀
36. Zipped: RACED.
41. Image problem, for short: BAD PR. Public Relations
43. General on a Chinese menu: TSO.
44. Ocean predator that sleeps with one eye open: ORCA. Scientists think this is so they can rest one half of their brain at a time.
48. Chum: PAL.
49. Faux __: PAS.
51. Sports drink suffix: -ADE.
53. Shade tree: ELM.
57. Take, as advice: ACT ON.
59. Actor Alda: ALAN.
60. Meadow mama: EWE.
61. Pique, as interest: AROUSE.
62. Accent on "señor": TILDE. The ~ symbol has a number of uses. I notice Splynter uses it in his blogs.
36. Zipped: RACED.
41. Image problem, for short: BAD PR. Public Relations
43. General on a Chinese menu: TSO.
 |
| ...and now you know. |
44. Ocean predator that sleeps with one eye open: ORCA. Scientists think this is so they can rest one half of their brain at a time.
48. Chum: PAL.
49. Faux __: PAS.
 |
| 2020...what a year! |
51. Sports drink suffix: -ADE.
57. Take, as advice: ACT ON.
59. Actor Alda: ALAN.
60. Meadow mama: EWE.
 |
| My dog's name is Meadow. Q: Does that make me a meadow mama? A: Yes, EWE are. |
61. Pique, as interest: AROUSE.
62. Accent on "señor": TILDE. The ~ symbol has a number of uses. I notice Splynter uses it in his blogs.
On a PC, you can hold down the Alt key while typing 164 on the number pad then let go to get ñ. To type a capital Ñ, change that to 165. I do not know if this works on a Mac.
67. Home to billions of people: ASIA. Comparatively, Australia is home to about 26 million people.
68. Celebratory suffix: -FEST. Think "OctoberFEST", perhaps.
69. Fleeting trends: FADS.
70. Time period: TERM.
71. Farm enclosure: STY. and 9 Down. Gloppy fare: SWILL.
67. Home to billions of people: ASIA. Comparatively, Australia is home to about 26 million people.
68. Celebratory suffix: -FEST. Think "OctoberFEST", perhaps.
69. Fleeting trends: FADS.
 |
| no comment |
70. Time period: TERM.
71. Farm enclosure: STY. and 9 Down. Gloppy fare: SWILL.
SWILL is kitchen refuse and scraps of waste food mixed with water for feeding to pigs. 
Down:
👉In the Across clues we had four themers plus a reveal. In the Down clues, we will encounter 12 seven-letter fills. Well done C.C. and Irish Miss!
Here is the first of the twelve:
1. Dusting on deviled eggs: PAPRIKA. I figure McCormick seasoning company is an excellent source on this topic. They say, "PAPRIKA is made from the dried, ground, ripened fruit pods of less pungent varieties of the Capsicum annum species. It is mildly flavored and prized for its brilliant red color. It is closely related to red pepper which also derives from the Capsicum annum species."
2. No-__: easy decision: BRAINER.
3. Doing some laundry prep: SORTING. Notice how the clue and answer verb tenses match.
4. "ur hilarious!": ROFL. "ur" is a hint the answer will be in textspeak. Rolling On the Floor Laughing
6. Light boat in a regatta: SCULL. Boats with scullers (athletes with two oars each) in them are referred to as sculls. SCULL as a verb means to propel a boat with sculls. An empty SkULL with a "k" can be a 2-Down.
 |
| We will see single, 2-person, and 4-person events at the Paris Olympics. |
7. Balloon gas: HELIUM. and 65-Down. Yoga ball filler: AIR.
8. Fire pit residue: ASH.
10. Singalong activity at a bar: KARAOKE. This one is for the BBT fans (1 min.)
11. Drug type banned by most pro sports: STEROID.
13. Leave speechless: STUN.
16. Ibsen's "__ Gabler": HEDDA. Hedda Gabler is a play written by Norwegian Henrik Johan Ibsen. It was first staged in 1891 in Munich, Germany. Hedda is the main character. She is newly married but already bored with her marriage and life.
18. Himalayan bovines: YAKS.
 |
| That's pretty specific.... |
22. Prayer opening: DEAR GOD. We often see the prayer closing "amen" in grids.
25. Small taste: BITE.
26. Yawn-inducing: BLAH. "Dull" and "bore" also fit ... for a bit.
29. Bargain-basement: CUT-RATE.
33. Like 2025, but not 2024: ODD.
35. Doc who treats sinusitis: ENT. Ear Nose Throat
37. Exec concerned with data security: CTO. Chief Technology Officer
39. Tablet downloads: APPS.
40. "If you ask me ... ": I SAY.
41. Courtroom figure who says "All rise!": BAILIFF.
42. Cloverlike crop: ALFALFA.
45. Optimizes, as an engine: RETUNES. Def.: to tune something again or differently.
46. Most near: CLOSEST.
47. Political pardon: AMNESTY.
48. Student of Socrates: PLATO.
50. "You think I care?": SO WHAT.
52. Noble title: EARL.
55. Phased out: ENDED.
56. Elle portrayer in "Legally Blonde": REESE. Thanks to IM and C.C. for an opportunity to include a Legally Blonde clip! (2:25 min.)
58. Pageboy, for one: COIF. A pageboy is a hairstyle. The length may vary but most variations have the ends curled under in a loose roll.
61. Genesis man: ADAM. Genesis is also an English rock band. Members came and went over the years but notably included Tony Banks (keyboard), Mike Rutherford (bassist/guitar), and Phil Collins (drums/vocals). Here are those Genesis men performing Turn It On Again (1980).
63. Busy hosp. areas: ERS. Hospital Emergency RoomS
Our conventional timeline is to insert the grid next:
Well, that was today's lineup. I'd say they hit it out of the park. What do you think?
Our conventional timeline is to insert the grid next:
42 comments:
Well, what do you know?
A crossword concocted by C.C. and our dear Irish Miss! I didn’t have to much trouble with it, although I don’t know what “aros” are (and neither does spellcheck). Other than that, it seemed like the usual Monday “walk in the park.” FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
No drama, no Wite-Out...no theme. D'oh. Methinks AROS was the result of an alphabet search while C.C. was laying out the top left section of the grid. Nicely done for our cornerites, C.C., Irish-Miss, and sumdaze.
SWILL: We always called it "slop." SWILL was some unpleasant concoction for humans.
FIR, but erased soaking for SORTING.
Today is:
PASSOVER BEGINS (the rise in antisemitism in our youth makes me very afraid for our country)
NATIONAL GIRL SCOUT DAY (my mom was a troop leader when I was little. Couldn’t wait to be a Cub Scout)
NATIONAL JELLY BEAN DAY (became popular during the Civil War)
NATIONAL EARTH DAY (especially important to Manfred Mann)
My lack of confidence drives me to solve with my .9mm Pentel Twist Erase pencil.
STY=”farm enclosure.” Or, “teen bedroom.”
I had HELIUM yesterday, but had to let it float away. I was just a day early.
2024 isn’t odd? The number isn’t, but the year is already one of the weirdest I’ve ever seen, with the crowd that last year insisted that we accept everyone and that hate has no room here, chanting “We ARE Hamas” and other antisemitic rhetoric. I’m so old that I remember when Ivy League schools were prestigious.
Thanks to Irish Miss and CC for the fun Monday puzzle. And thanks to sumdaze for the musical review. My favorite type.
FIR. Nice and easy solve on a Monday, Earth Day.
The theme was very clever and the cluing straightforward. This was a most enjoyable puzzle.
Took 4:58 today for me to draw the parallel.
Congratulations to Ms. Irish Miss and CC's C.C!
I knew today's actress (Reese), but I didn't know "aros", "Hedda", or "mal."
[Ms. Irish Miss leading-off with a 3-letter word would be like me constructing a puzzle with circles.]
Fun day, Monday from CC and Agnes
At first I was trying to put all the words in the themers with HEAD instead of LINES
MAL DE MER was a gimme being in the medical field - but can be parsed out MAL meaning bad in French (or Latin) with DE MER meaning "of the sea"
Mal de disembarquement - is when you still feel like you're rocking when you get off a ship or boat- usually only lasts a day or so- but can last weeks in a few poor souls.
Back to work after being off almost a week, thanks SD for the amusing blog
Good Morning:
Because of the time lag between submission and publication dates, it's not uncommon to forget much of the cluing and fill, other than the theme/reveal entries, of course. Although the turn around on this puzzle was fairly quick compared to past submissions, there were the usual editorial tweaks and fine-tuning that change the landscape just enough to make the solve more challenging, a good thing, as Martha Stewart would say.
I hope everyone enjoys the solve and, as always, I'd like to thank C.C. for being such an inspiring mentor and a sheer delight to collaborate with. Sometimes I present C.C. with a "Sow's Ear" and, through her special talents, she turns it into a "Silk Purse"! Thank you, CC, for everything. Susan, thank you for such kind words and your excellent analysis of the theme. Your examples and commentary were spot-on. Loved all of the links/photos, etc., especially the "Elle and Bruiser" video, the gullible mouse, and the Odd fellow! Great stuff!
SS @ 7:27 ~ Mea Culpa, my friend!
Happy Passover to Joseph, Susan, Naomi, Jason, and our peripatetic Robert. (I apologize if I missed anyone.)
To sumdaze, please forgive my faux pas! I was a day ahead of myself thanking Susan instead of you. Thank you, thank you, sumdaze!!! 😘
What an unusually interesting Monday outing, with very few proper nouns and a reveal for the neat theme saved until the end. Kudos to Agnes and CC. Sumdaze, you added much to the fun of a happy Monday outing.
Only AROS, this actor, Ken, and Reese were new to were new to me. Perps were kind.
I think of the noun SWILL as refuse served to animals and the verb SWILL referring to guzzling drinks. Of course, there are other uses.
My ENT suggested Neti rinses for my chronic sinus congestion. They work for 5 minutes and then the congestion returns. A possible solution would be an operation to repair my deviated septum. At this age I pass. I have just recovered from week long sinusitis that left me feeling vaguely unwell.
CSO to my Alan. His salvation was getting Medicaid approval as soon as he turned 21. Today people with even more serious needs cannot get it.
Happy Passover to all who observe it.
Good Morning! Thanks, IM and CC, for your romp today. What a nice way to start the week.
Mostly Monday level but with some cautious areas depending on which direction I was going. I looked at the clue Aristocrat and had an open space LO_D and put in an R before I read the down clue for STER-O-ID resulting in my one WO.
All perps for AROS and KEN, a funny guy – I wish I had seen his show.
Thanks, sumdaze, for your fun recap. I didn’t stop to suss the theme until I got to the Corner which often happens. Your explanation shined the light. The SB Mowing video was so heartwarming. What a nice young man!
FIR, but I have to say it was ‘almost’ a walk in the park which is expected for a Monday. However, crossing party foul with ROFL (texter speak which is rarely used) was tougher than Monday as my thinking is that while the other theme answers stand alone without the reveal (blue blood, date night, life story), party foul is unheard of - at least to me, so I had to go with it as no other options worked. Mal and blah (vs bore) was also tougher than Monday. But alls well that ends well! Thanks
Monday is my duplicate bridge day, so I got rolling early today to give me time for the puzzle. What an unexpected and pleasant surprise to find our own Irish Miss and CC in today's byline.
You two baffled me with a couple entries, like AROS and ROFL, but you were careful to surround them with friendly perps. Oh--and thanks for getting KEN in there (27A)!
Overall, a fun Monday-appropriate puzzle, and a nice friendly start to the week and to Earth Day!
What a delightful Monday puzzle, IM and CC! I enjoyed solving the puzzle and then say the names of the constructors. Bravo!
DO@5”31 - Yes. At my grandmother’s farm you would hear “suey, suey” (sooie?, sooey?) when the men went to the pig STY to slop the pigs, not SWILL. All parts were used by canning and hanging in the smoke house on butchering day. LARD was used to make the best pie crusts ever!
AROS and ROFL were unknown but easily filled in. A wonderful production of HEDDA Gabler starring Kate Burton in 2000 was at the Williamstown Theatre Festival.
Thank you for the funny cartoons and explainations of clues and answers, sumdaze. Any time Ms. REESE Shows up as Ms. Elle is a good thing.
Happy day, all!
Very nice to see the byline on todays puzzle, Wotta way to start a Monday. Thank you CC and IM...
After all these years reading the Blog, I feel like I have gotten to know you. Some day I would like to meet you all in person, as this long distance pen pal arrangement has left me a little handicapped...
Woo, woo! Irish Miss ☘️ and C.C. collaboration. What a great way to start the week.
FIR. The two odd ball clues, for me, didn’t trip me up. I remembered AROS and ROFL from past CWs. So no FOUL there.
KEN just showed up but now I remember him from the movie The Hangover which I’m embarrassed so say I enjoyed.
Interesting fact about ORCAs.
This time of year our lawn is covered in lovely blooming clover. The lawn service mows it, but 2 days later it’s back. Once the heat starts, it dies out.
Thanks Sumdaze for a great right up.
It's nice to read the positive comments about today's double feature!
Thanks, RosE@9:25 for checking out the SB Mowing video. I hesitated to add it because it is long but I am inspired by how he uses his skills to make the world a better place. In one of his videos he finds an injured cat in the tall grass and takes it to a non-profit where they help it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDyd0HrAzmw
Musings
-How fun to see these three lovely women on a Monday!
-I had a slight pause at the top middle but even that was fun to resolve.
-I don’t like doing puzzles IN INK but teachers where I sub never seem to have a pencil
-HIREE: It seems to me that if you can’t get a job in this climate, you’re not trying very hard.
-Dutch ELM disease seemed to wipe out the wonderful tree canopies of my childhood overnight.
-If I hold down N key on my Mac, options come up that I can use such as ñ or ń. Holding down E key gives me seven options
-NO BRAINER: Subs soon learn what classes to avoid
-Who cares?
Monday?
I got a kick out of the clever theme and enjoyed being able to FIR. Since I rarely notice the constructor's name before coming to the Corner, I expected Irish Miss to critique the 18 three-letter words, and everyone else to jump on Patti for the gender non-conforming abbreviation AROS. I consider three-letter words to be a gift, especially on Mondays, and I don't care much about anyone else's sexual proclivities. SO WHAT if I don't AROUSE everyone? I can still enjoy DATE NIGHT with DH.
Anonymous Jinx at 6:47 AM: many thanks for your comments about the frightful rise in anti-semitism.
Irish Miss at 8:24 AM: many thanks for including me in your goodwill wishes for Passover.
Yellowrocks at 9:22 AM: thanks for your Passover greetings as well.
And now, back to Passover preparations. Thank you all for having me here.
Congratulations to Agnes and Zhouqin on a fine puzzle, thanks to Patti for editing, to Sumdaze for a neat review, and to everyone else who makes this the finest Corner on the internet.
What a nice puzzle from CC and Irish to open the week! My only unknown was AROS, and I had to change LMAO to ROTF. Thanks to Sumdaze for explaining about the famous General Tso. I always wondered... HELIUM! brought back memories of Barsoom. John Carter and Deja Thoris.
What a delight to open this puzzle and see the name of two of our favorite people on the HEADLINE. Thank you Agnes and C.C.! What a great way to start the week.
And thank you sumdaze for another AMAZING review. The video of the Good Lawn Samaritan is so inspiring, I'm letting the rest of it run as I write this.
Some favs:
The themers and the reveal, which I'm sure took quite a lot of planning and tweaking to LINE UP.
20A RITUAL. The sanctification of the routine.
60A EWE. Meadow is a cute pup! Is that your vineyard Renee?
69A FADS. No comment.
2D BRAINER. I found this puzzle to be more of a BRAINER than the average Monday puzzle with lots of clever fill and a minimum of obscure names and places.
4D ROFL. An echo from last Friday's puzzle. My grandkids really love C&H.
10D KARAOKE. Thanks for the BBT clip. I've never actually seen a full episode of the show, but like the SIMPSONS, I've learned about all the characters from crosswords.
22D DEAR GOD. We need all the help we can get!
41D BAILIFF. Speaking of the Simpsons!
56D REESE. I'm legally blond too, and left-handed like ELLE's first interviewer, but I'm not rich and famous.
It's all good!
Cheers,
Bill
Anon @ 9:30, ROFL is a shortened version of the formal term, ROFLMFAO [rolling on floor laughing my "foolish butt" off].
Inanehiker, thanks for the learning moment for "mal de disembarquement." I do experience it, but not nearly as badly a friend of mine. One year he joined my crew for the annual Newport (CA) to Ensenada (MX) sailboat race. It was a slow race, and we spent two nights and nearly three entire days getting there. We anchored, secured the boat, then caught a water taxi ashore. My friend was fine the entire time we were at sea, but when he stepped on land he started vomiting and couldn't stop until he was past empty. Later, he told me he had experienced sea sickness before, but never what we were calling "land sickness."
What a predictable weekend for pro sports. Corda won the LPGA for her fifth straight victory, Scheffler won for the fourth time in five outings in the PGA, and all the home teams won in the playoffs for Lord Stanley's cup.
Hola!
What a beautiful testament to our constructors when so many commenters appear! Of course, it's Monday and the puzzle was a joy to solve even with the unknown AROS and the textspeak ROFL. I salute you both, Agnes and C.C. Good job!
My RITUAL every morning is to make coffee, grab my clipboard and slip the puzzle into it and get started in ink to solve the puzzle. Today no wite-out was needed.
HEDDA Gabler was included in the world lit curriculum when I was in college but today, who knows, it might be unknown to the modern students. I'll have to ask my granddaughter about that.
ALFALFA used to be planted along the highway on the Reservation side of the road but it hasn't been for several years now. And our lawn is also overrun with clover.
Again, thanks to IrishMiss and C.C. for today's fun. Enjoy your day, everyone!
I’ve written thousands of newspaper HEADLINES in my time, so, although I don’t usually weigh in on Mondays, I have to salute a puzzle by Irish Miss and C.C. that certainly surpassed most Monday presentations. Thanks, sumdaze, for showing us why.
Stuff I liked in this puzzle: Three of the four theme entries and how all four of them worked heading “lines”; and fill such as AROUSE; PAPRIKA; SCULL; ALFALFA; SWILL; and BAILIFF.
Stuff I didn’t like: AROS, and the contrivance PARTY FOUL.
I know some Genesis snobs who would excoriate anyone who omits Peter Gabriel from a description of the group’s personnel. He was the front man from 1967 to 1975 (the years of the group’s greatest artistic success, those snobs say), and was a big name as a solo artist as well.
Hi All!
Nice puzzle C.C. & IM!!! The 12-stacks are impressive and the theme took a bit to get to the AHA! *chef's kiss*
IM@8:24 - I totally agree with your assessment of CC's ability to turn coal into diamonds.
Fantastic expo, sumdaze. Thank you for the SO w/ RUSH! //lawnmower guy was pretty cool too.
WOs: CIO->CTO, aide -> COIF
ESPs: HEDDA & figuring out which vowels went where in some of the fill (KARAOKE, lookin' at you) #dyslexicsUntie!
Fav: RUSH ;-) and PARTY FOUL was neat-o.
IN-INK everyday.
ROFL - See: Weird Al [@1:52]
Minor NIT - CISO (Chief Information Security Officer) is the poor-bastard responsible for security @37d. I guess if you don't have one, the CIO or CTO could muster (but it's not always good to have security and operations wrapped up in the same function - folks will go "usability over security" way too oft).
Speaking of security - my recent absence from The Corner: I've been responding to an incident since Thursday afternoon and get sleep in 90 minute chunks. Low-level stuff but we gotta make sure #ProveAnegative.
At least I got to read y'all after failing Saturday's puzzle :-)
Cheers, -T
"The word karaoke is a portmanteau word combining the Japanese terms “kara” (empty) and “okesutora” (orchestra) to get 'empty orchestra.'” The orchestra's spot for a singer is empty. Please note that the Japanese borrowed "orchestra" from English and changed its pronunciation. Many languages "borrow" words from one another and frequently change the pronunciation, spelling and/or exact meaning. This cross fertilization enriches both languages.
Dictionary.com says, "Loanwords make up 80% of English
As lexicographer Kory Stamper explains, “English has been borrowing words from other languages since its infancy.” As many as 350 other languages are represented and their linguistic contributions actually make up about 80% of English!"
Thank you I.M. And C.C. for a fun and clever Monday offering.
No wite-out needed and the theme was well done.
Aros ?? I am a life long learner so I’ll add this to my filing cabinet of crossword vocabulary that I’ll only ever use here.
…… kkFlorida
Puzzling thoughts:
How fun to see that Irish Miss and CC collaborated on today's puzzle!
FIR (on my computer - it's been way too long since I solved a puzzle IN INK) and was surprised to see the reveal as I had NOT been paying attention to any lines (nor heads) along the way
No surprise to see this one solve so smoothly ... except for that peksy "AROS" word that appears in 12-across ... as others have said, the perps and clues made the solve quite pleasant
DATE NIGHT is something that Ms. Margaret and I celebrated most every Monday evening during COVID. I know that might seem ODD to have a DATE NIGHT on Monday, but when you're retired ...
Kudos again to the inimitable team of Agnes and Zhouquin and to our Monday blogger, Renee, for adding in a bit of her jocularity
27D: I couldn’t get the circles.
Lucina @12:05 I retired 14 years ago, (I can’t believe it’s been that long ago) anyway up until the last year I taught my world lit class, I included Hedda Gabler. After that, I don’t know.
Marvellous Monday. Thanks for the fun, Irish Miss and C.C., and sumdaze.
Our dynamic duo gave us a HEADLINEr CW today. I FIRed with only a few inkblots (yes I fill IN INK) and saw the theme as revealed.
Skull corrected quickly to SCULL. Opposite problem with C to K for PAPRIKA.
My “small taste” started out as a Sip, but BITE filled the spot.
Kareoke changed to KARAOKE with LARD (CSO to Lucina with those tamales).
I’m ROFL that this Canadian is denied access to the RUSH video.
I thought of AnonT with CTO (but I see his comment now - welcome back).
Our Stratford Festival is presenting Ibsen’s HEDDA Gabler this season. Previews open this Thursday.
Happy Earth Day.
Blessings to those celebrating Passover today.
Wishing you all a great day.
Yooper Phil here ~ What a lovely trifecta of Cornerites, thank you C.C., Agnes and Sumdaze for today’s delightful presentations, nice lead in to the CW week!
IM ☘️ ~ would be interested in knowing just how a collaboration works as to the theme idea and clueing, how it all comes together etc.
HG - thanks for the heads up on the letter functions, I’ve used iPads and iPhones for years and never knew. 🤷♂️
Thank you, Irish Miss, C.C., and Sumdaze for a really fun time.
Passover prayers for peace, and for all who celebrate.
sumdaze said it very well - what a lovely surprise!
Thank you very much, all three of you!
Wow! What a great way to start the week, with a totally delightful Monday puzzle from Irish Miss and C.C., and a fun commentary from Sumdaze. Thank you all for this wonderful treat, which was just a pleasure.
My initial reaction to the puzzle was to notice its very social themes. A number of its HEADLINES suggested that we would be getting a bit of a LIFE STORY here, which would remind us of a RITUAL and a DATE NIGHT we once had, hearing KARAOKE and reading Ibsen's HEDDA GABLER" out loud. That was a delightful FEST with no PARTY FOUL whatsoever. Many thanks again, all of you.
Have a great week, everybody.
Thank you, Irish Miss, C.C., and sumdaze.
A very enjoyable crossword.
Dash T, I agree about your nit. It was only because there were 3 spaces for the answer and not 4 that I first opted for CSO. I accepted CTO because it is only a crossword puzzle.
Other irons are in the fire. Gotta tend to them.
I love love loved this puzzle! Well done!
Monkey@1:40
It's wonderful to know that you once included Hedda Gabler in your curriculum. My studies in college were many, many, many decades ago but great literature survives through the ages, i.e. Shakespeare and others including Ibsen.
In fact, my early studies in literature and so many other areas now enrich my retirement years and add much enjoyment to them. That and continuing to read prolifically. I believe others likely feel the same way.
Not only did IM lead with a three, I counted sixteen puzzle-wide! How oh why?
Just for the record, there were 21 TLWs in today's puzzle. Had I written a critique of the puzzle, I would have mentioned this fact, but I don't believe it's my place to praise or pan a puzzle I collaborated on.
IM - It's your (&CC's) puzzle! Do whatever you like. Heck, even throw Patti under the bus for the "meh"s :-)
I'm kidding; it was a treat to solve and I loved how normal two-word fill fits the LINES.
Cheers, -T
Anon T @ 7:20 ~ 😘
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